Travel agency to compensate for cancelled air tickets

The Delhi Consumer Commission has asked a booking agency to compensate a man, whose confirmed air tickets from Boston to New York were cancelled two days before journey in 2008, saying it had sold tickets on behalf of the airlines and can't escape liability.
A bench of Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, presided by Justice Veena Birbal, passed the order while rejecting AA BEE Resorts & Travels' appeal filed against a district forum order which had directed it to pay Rs 67,500 jointly with the airlines to Delhi resident Om Prakash Palia.
"The appellant (firm) had sold the ticket on behalf of Delta Airlines as its booking agent. In these circumstances, it cannot escape liability...

"The district forum has rightly held both appellant(firm) and airline jointly and severally liable to pay compensation..," the bench said, while rejecting firm's contention that it was only an agent having booked the tickets for airline.
It also rejected the contention of the booking agency that Palia was required to reconfirm his tickets at least 72 hours prior to the schedule of departure with the concerned airline.
"Once the tickets were confirmed there was no question of reconfirmation...There is nothing on record to show that the appellant had informed the respondent that he was required to reconfirm the tickets at least 72 hours prior to the schedule of departure with the concerned Airline," it said.

Palia had earlier told the forum that his two confirmed tickets for journey from Boston to New York in 2008, bought from the firm, were cancelled two days before the date of journey.

After the firm did not respond to his complaint seeking refund of ticket fare and compensation, he had approached the forum.
The firm, however, had contended before the forum that there was no deficiency on its part.
The airlines did not appear before the forum and was proceeded ex-parte.